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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
stranger. While the ship was thus changing her course, the day
advanced, and our crew got their breakfast.
As a matter of course, the strange ship, which kept on the
same line of sailing as before, drew ahead of us a little, while
we neared her sensibly. In the course of three hours we were
within a league of her, but well on her lee-quarter. Marble
now unhesitatingly pronounced her to be a Frenchman, there
being no such thing as mistaking the sails. To suppose an Englishman would go to sea with such triangles of royals, he held
to be entirely out of the question; and then he referred to me
to know if I did not remember the brig “we had licked in the
West Indies, last v’y’ge, which had just such r’yals as the chap
up there to windward?” I could see the resemblance, certainly,
and had remarked the same peculiarity in the few French vessels I had seen.
Under all the circumstances, Captain Williams determined
to get on the weather-quarter of our neighbour, and take a still
nearer look at him. That he was armed, we could see already;
and, as near as we could make out, he carried twelve guns, or
just two more than we did ourselves. All this was encouraging;
sufficiently so, at least, to induce us to make a much closer examination than we had yet done.
It took two more hours to bring the Crisis, fast as she sailed,
on the weather-quarter of her neighbour, distant about a
mile. Here our observations were much more to the purpose,
and even Captain Williams pronounced the stranger to be a
Frenchman, “and, no doubt, a letter-of-marque, like ourselves.”
He had just uttered these words, when we saw the other vessel’s
studding-sails coming down her royals and top-gallant-sails
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
clewing up, and all the usual signs of her stripping for a fight.
We had set our ensign early in the day, but, as yet, had got no
answering symbol of nationality from the chase. As soon as she
had taken in all her light canvass, however, she clewed up her
courses, fired a gun to windward, and hoisted the French tri-
color, the most graceful flag among the emblems of Christendom, but one that has been as remarkably unsuccessful in the
deeds it has witnessed on the high seas, as it has been remarkable for the reverse on land. The French have not been wanting in excellent sailors – gallant seamen, too; but the results of
their exploits afloat have ever borne a singular disproportion
to the means employed – a few occasional exceptions just going to prove that the causes have been of a character as peculiar, as these results have, in nearly all ages, been uniform. I
have heard the want of success in maritime exploits, among the
French, attributed to a want of sympathy, in the nation, with
maritime things. Others, again, have supposed that the narrow
system of preferring birth to merit, which pervaded the whole
economy of the French marine, as well as of its army, previously to the revolution, could not fail to destroy the former,
inasmuch as a man of family would not consent to undergo
the toil and hardships that are unavoidable to the training of
the true seaman. This last reason, however, can scarcely be the
true one, as the young English noble has often made the most
successful naval officer; and the marine of France, in 1798,
had surely every opportunity of perfecting itself, by downright
practice, uninjured by favouritism, as that of America. For myself, though I have now reflected on the subject for years, I can
come to no other conclusion than that national character has
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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
some very important agency – or, perhaps, it might be safer to
say, has had some very important agency – through some cause
or other, in disqualifying France from becoming a great naval
power, in the sense of skill; in that of mere force, so great a nation must always be formidable. Now she sends her princes to
sea, however, we may look for different results. Notwithstanding the fact that an Englishman, or an American, rarely went
alongside of a Frenchman, in 1798, without a strong moral
assurance of victory, he was sometimes disappointed. There
was no lack of courage in their enemies, and it occasionally
happened that there was no lack of skill. Every manifestation
that the experience of our captain could detect, went to show
that we had fallen in with one of these exceptions. As we drew
nearer to our enemy, we perceived that he was acting like a
seaman. His sails had been furled without haste or confusion;
an infallible evidence of coolness and discipline when done
on the eve of battle, and signs that the watchful seaman, on
such occasions, usually notes as unerring indications of the
sort of struggle that awaits him. It was consequently understood, among us on the quarter-deck, that we were likely to
have a warm day’s work of it. Nevertheless, we had gone too
far to retreat without an effort, and we began, in our turn, to
shorten sail, in readiness for the combat. Marble was a prince
of a fellow, when it came to anything serious. I never saw him
shorten sail as coolly and readily as he did that very day. We
had everything ready in ten minutes after we began.
It was rare, indeed, to see two letters-of-marque set-to as
coolly, and as scientifically as were the facts with the Crisis
and la Dame de Nantes; for so, as we afterwards ascertained,
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
was our antagonist called. Neither party aimed at any great
advantage by manoeuvring; but we came up alongside of “The
Lady,” as our men subsequently nick-named the Frenchman,
the two vessels delivering their broadsides nearly at the same
instant. I was stationed on the forecastle, in charge of the headsheets, with orders to attend generally to the braces and the
rigging, using a musket in moments that were not otherwise
employed. Away went both my jib-sheet blocks at the beginning, giving me a very pretty job from the outset. This was but
the commencement of trouble; for, during the two hours and
a half that we lay battering la Dame de Nantes, and she lay
battering us, I had really so much to attend to in the way of
reeving, knotting, splicing, and turning in afresh, that I had
scarcely a minute to look about me, in order to ascertain how
the day was going. I fired my musket but twice. The glimpses I
did manage to take were far from satisfactory, however; several
of our people being killed or wounded, one gun fairly crippled by a shot, and our rigging in a sad plight. The only thing
encourag’ng was Neb’s shout, the fellow making it a point to
roar almost as loud as his gun, at each discharge.
It was evident from the first that the Frenchman had
nearly twice as many men as we carried. This rendered any
attempt at boarding imprudent, and, in the way of pounding,
our prospects were by no means flattering. At length I heard
a rushing sound over my head, and, looking up, I saw that the
main-top-mast, with the yards and sails, had come down on
the fore-braces, and might shortly be expected on deck. At this
point, Captain Williams ordered all hands from the guns to
clear the wreck. At the same instant, our antagonist, with a de-
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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
gree of complaisance that I could have hugged him for, ceased
firing also. Both sides seemed to think it was very foolish for
two merchantmen to lie within a cable’s length of each other,
trying which could do the other the most harm; and both sides
set about the, by this time, very necessary duty of repairing
damages. While this was going on, the men at the wheel, by a
species of instinctive caution, did their whole duty. The Crisis
luffed all she was able, while la Dame de Nantes edged away all
she very conveniently could, placing more than a mile of blue
water between the two vessels, before we, who were at work
aloft, were aware they were so decidedly running on diverging
lines.
It was night before we got our wreck clear; and then we
had to look about us, to get out spare spars, fit them, rig them,
point them, and sway them aloft. The last operation, however,
was deferred until morning. As it was, the day’s work had been
hard, and the people really wanted rest. Rest was granted them
at eight o’clock; at which hour, our late antagonist was visible
about a league distant, the darkness beginning to envelope
her. In the morning the horizon was clear, owing to the repulsion which existed in so much force between the two vessels. It
was not our business to trouble ourselves about the fate of our
adversary, but to take heed of our own. That morning we go’
up our spars, crossed the yards, and made sail again. We had
several days’ work in repairing all our damages; but, happening to be found for a long voyage, and well found, too, by the
end of a week the Crisis was in as good order as if we had not
fought a battle. As for the combat, it was one of those in which
either side might claim the victory, or not, as it suited tastes.
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
We had very ingenious excuses for our failure, however; and
I make no doubt the French were just as ready, in this way, as
we were ourselves.
Our loss in this engagement amounted to two men killed
outright, and to seven wounded, two of whom died within a
few days. The remaining wounded all recovered, though the
second-mate, who was one of them, I believe never got to be
again the man he had been. A canister-shot lodged near his
hip, and the creature we had on board as a surgeon was not
the hero to extract it. In that day, the country was not so very
well provided with medical men on the land, as to spare many
good ones to the sea. In the new navy, it was much the fashion
to say, “if you want a leg amputated, send for the carpenter;
he does know how to use a saw, while it is questionable whether the doctor knows how to use anything.” Times, however,
are greatly altered in this respect; the gentlemen who now
compose this branch of the service being not only worthy of
commendation for their skill and services, but worthy of the
graduated rank which I see they are just now asking of the
justice of their country, and which, as that country ordinarily
administers justice, I am much afraid they will ask in vain.
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CHAPTER IX
“If we
Cannot defend our own door from the dog,
Let us be worried; and our nation lose
The name of hardiness, and policy.”
Henry V.
The combat between the Crisis and la Dame de Nantes took
place in 42.37’.12” north latitude, and 34.16’.43” west longitude, from Greenwich. This was very near the centre of the
northern Atlantic, and gave us ample time to get our ship in
good condition before we drew in with the land. Shortly after the affair, the wind came out light at northeast, forcing us
down nearer to the Bay of Biscay than was at all convenient,
when bound to London. The weather grew foggy, too, which
is not usual on the coast of Europe, with the wind at east, and
the nights dark. Just a fortnight after the action, I was awakened early one morning by a rough shake of the shoulder from
Marble, who had the watch, but who was calling me at least an
hour before the time. “Bear a hand and turn out,” he said; “I
want you on deck, Mr. Wallingford.” I obeyed, of course, and
soon stood in the presence of the chief-mate, rubbing my eyes
diligently, as if they had to be opened by friction.
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
It was just six bells, or seven o’clock, and one of the watch
was on the point of making the bell proclaim as much, when
Mr. Marble ordered him not to strike the hour. The weather
was thick, or rather foggy, and the wind light, with very little
sea going. All this I had time to notice, to listen to the unusual
order about the bell, and to gape twice, before the male turned
to me. He seized my arm, carried me on the lee side of the
quarter-deck, shook his finger at a vacant spot in the fog, and
said –
“Miles, my boy, down yonder, within half a mile of this very
spot, is our friend the Frenchman!”
“How is it possible you can know that, Mr. Marble?” I demanded in surprise.
“Because I have seen him, with these two good-looking eyes
of mine. This fog opens and shuts like a playhouse-curtain, and
I got a peep at the chap, about ten minutes since. It was a short
look, but it was a sure one; I would swear to the fellow in any
admiralty court in Christendom.”
“And what do you intend to do, Mr. Marble? We found him
a hard subject in clear weather; what can we do with him in
thick?”
“That depends on the old man; his very natur’ is overlaid by
what has happened already, and I rather think he will be for
a fresh skrimmage” – Marble was an uneducated Kennebunk
man, and by no means particular about his English. “There’ll
be good picking in that French gentleman, Master Miles, for
those who come in at the beginning of the plunder!”
The chief-mate then told me to go below and turn up all
hands, making as little rumpus about it as possible. This I did;
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and when I returned to the deck, I found the fingers of Marble
going again, with Captain Williams for his auditor, just as they
had gone to me, a few minutes earlier. Being an officer, I made
no scruples about joining the party. Marble was giving his account of the manner in which he had momentarily seen the
enemy, the canvass he was under, the course he was steering,
and the air of security that prevailed about him. So much, he
insisted he had noted, though he saw the ship for about twenty
seconds only. All this, however, might be true, for a seaman’s
eye is quick, and he has modes of his own for seeing a great
deal in a brief space of time. Marble now proposed that we
should go to quarters, run alongside of the Frenchman, pour
in a broadside, and board him in the smoke. Our success would
be certain, could we close with him without being seen; and
it would be almost as certain, could we engage him with our
guns by surprise. The chief-mate was of opinion we had dosed
him in the other affair, in a way to sicken him; this time we
should bring him to with a round turn!
The “old man” was pleased with the notion, I saw at a
glance; and I confess it took my fancy also. We all felt very sore
at the result of the other attempt, and here it seemed as if fortune gave us a good occasion for repairing the evil.
“There can be no harm in getting ready, Mr. Marble,” the
captain observed; “and when we are ready ourselves we shall
know better what to think of the matter.”
This was no sooner said, than away we went to clear ship.
Our task was soon done; the tompions were got out, the guns
cast loose, ammunition was brought up, and a stand of grape
was put in over the shot in every piece in both batteries. As the
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
men were told the motive, they worked like dray-horses; and I
do not think we were ten minutes before the ship was ready to
go into action, at a moment’s notice.
All this time, Captain Williams refused to keep the ship
away. I believe he wanted to get a look at our neighbour himself, for he could not but foresee what might be the consequences, should he run down in the fog, and engage a heavier
vessel than his own, without the ceremony of a hail. The sea
was covered with Englishmen, and one of their cruisers might
not very easily pardon such a mistake, however honestly made.
But preparation seems to infer a necessity for performance.
When everything was ready, all eyes were turned aft in a way
that human nature could hardly endure, and the captain was
obliged to yield. As Marble, of all on board, had alone seen the
other vessel, he was directed to conn the Crisis in the delicate
operation she was about to undertake.
As before, my station was on the forecastle. I had been directed to keep a bright look-out, as the enemy would doubtless
be first seen from forward. The order was unnecessary, however, for never did human beings gaze into a fog more anxiously,
than did all on board our ship on this occasion. Calculating by
the distance, and the courses steered, we supposed ten or fifteen minutes would bring us square alongside of Mr. Marble’s
ship; though some among us doubted his having seen any vessel at all. There was about a five-knot breeze, and we had all
our square sails set, knowing it was necessary to go a little faster
than our adversary, to catch up with him. The intense expectation, not to say anxiety, of such a scene, is not easily described.
The surrounding fog, at times, seemed filled with ships; but
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